Deer and tractors Not deere tractors

One winter I took on a contract to cut some logs, 10 miles from any civilization. The day I went and looked the site over on snowmobile there was not a deer track in snow anywhere. The snow was exceptionally deep that winter, thus deer were easy prey for their preditors. We plowed the road and my crew moved in there with 10 chain saws, John Deere 6 cylinder skidder and Timberjack forwarder with a Detroit diesel. Within 5 days, deer there were a herd on deer. My employees told me they would brouse in brush within 10' while they ate lunch or filed chain saw. The deer saw this as place of food, plowed roads as a place to run from preditors and furthermore saw my crew as the provider. Natural resource folks tell me we probably drew deer from a ten mile radius, as there was no one else working in the area.

Heard another story two guys loading a truck cross piling 8' wood, one guy running a separate vechicle cherry picker and the other guy on truck with log pick. The guy on the truck hadn't noticed there was a black bear brousing around left front fender of the truck, where some loggers had eaten their lunch. Guy on loader had noticed the bear. When the loading was done the truck driver came down a ladder behind cab and jumped from deck level. Bear had noticed him before he jumped, however he jumped right into the bear's path of escape. The bear plowed right into him, knocking him to the ground and was gone so fast the truck driver hardly knew what hit him. He was known to be a bit of a clutz. The guy on the loader told me this story, and further told me he laughed until tears ran down his cheeks.

My experience over the years, it seems as though these animals don't pick up your scent, if your more than 4' off the ground. I've seen the deere pick up my scent on a tractor if conditions are right, usually they are down wind from you. Never on a combine or a tractor with a cab. I don't think it's a case of seeing you, definitely human scent in my mind.

We used to have problems with crows pulling young corn plants and eating the seed. One could shoot them almost every time from tractor seat. They are not very easy to shoot if your on foot.

Once when I was helping my cousin bale second-cut hay after Labor Day, looked up above the hayfield and saw a buck come out of the woods to watch the 656 and JD kicker in action. First couple times the bale flew into the wagon, it alerted the deer. After a bit, he just stood there and watched.

Used to accuse that cousin of having an unfair advantage come deer season, because he usually hunted in his barn coveralls. Figured the deer were used to the smell of manure on the fields and the barn duds made a pretty good cover scent.

HOWEVER, as soon as you throttled down they'd scatter. Seems like it's the change that spooks them. Just like you can be 50 feet from one and as long as you are frozen stock still, they'll ignore you. As soon as you move, they're gone.

yeah, especially when the big red ones are coming!!! ;)